The Disaster Artist

The 465th film I have seen in theaters…

Oh, Hai Mark!

1998 San Francisco. Young actor Greg Sestero meets the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau in acting class. They move to LA to pursue their dreams of being stars. Their journey does not go very well, better for Greg than Tommy. Exasperated, Tommy sits down and writes his OWN movie- The Room. He finances, directs, produces and stars in it, one of the worst films ever made. 14 years later, it is a smash hit of the cult cinema circuit, still selling out midnight screenings. The story of how it came to be is every bit as strange as the film itself.

James Franco Produces, Directs, and stars in this film. Sound familiar? His Tommy Wiseau is Oscar worthy. His performance is the center of the film. I expect an Oscar nomination is coming. He’s got a shot at winning it too.

Dave Franco, James’ brother, is Greg. He also turns in an impressive performance as the pretty boy babyface.

Seth Rogen is Sandy, the script supervisor that was essentially the shadow director on the film as Tommy went nuts. He is always good when paired with Franco.

The lovable Alison Brie is Amber, Greg’s girlfriend. She does a fine job is this supporting role. It turns out she is married to Dave Franco in real life. Who knew?

Many fine actors take on smaller roles in the film. Including Bryan Cranston as himself.

This is another hit from A24, the New York based indie production company. They also produced “Room” The Oscar winning film from 2015, no relation to Wiseau’s film lol. They made Lady Bird and several other outstanding films since they opened up in 2012. They are one to watch in the post Weinstein world.

As in almost all cases the book was better, but this film manages to capture it’s spirit. Elevated by the transmutation of James Franco into Wiseau, this movie manages to become one of the top 5 of the year. While it tackles “The Room”, it never makes fun of it. It recognizes what a true disaster the finished product is while remembering that it is one of the most enjoyable cinematic experiences of the last 20 years. People still line up to see this thing! Franco is a lock for an Oscar nom. A part of me wants this to somehow win best picture just so we can see Wiseau on stage.